Smithsonian Institution
Dia de los Muertos: Celebrating and Remembering
Help scholars understand the history, geography, traditions, and art of Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Find background information for your reference as well as a detailed cross-curricular lesson plan. Learners compare...
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Cultural Diversity
Introducing the topic of cultural diversity and the social issues surrounding it, this presentation will get your students thinking about stereotypes involving race, gender, and sexual orientation. Affirmative action and positive and...
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Mineral Scavenger Hunt
Students complete a scavenger hunt worksheet as they find examples in their classroom, at home, etc., of minerals. Excellent worksheet!
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Read All About It: Thanksgiving
In this Thanksgiving reading worksheet, students read for information and answer true and false comprehension questions. Students answer six true and false statements.
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Using Artifacts to Engage Students in Critical Thinking Activities
Creating learning centers with artifact-related activities are a great way to promote deductive reasoning and critical thinking skills.
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Nature's Magic Elixir
Students do research to discover the importance of water in the world and its effect upon our daily lives. They will also appreciate the beauty of water and how it is so adaptable within nature.
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California's Mission/Rancho Era
Fourth graders complete a variety of activities as they study the Spanish colonization of California, including the relationships among missionaries and Indians and their interactions with soldiers and people in the pueblos and ranchos.
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Coyote and Anansi
Students explore the structure of folktales. For this coyote and Anansi lesson, students discuss the attributes of folktales as they read versions of tales featuring coyote and Anansi. Students collaborate to write and perform their own...
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Mirror, Mirror
Students mirror their partners by moving the same way they do. In this movement lesson plan, students use their bodies and jump ropes and switch leaders every 20 seconds to mirror their partner.
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Centennial: Have I Got a Story for You
Students identify the clues that folklore provides about Utah's past, and create a piece of folklore for a place or event in or near their community.
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Boomerang
Students build their own boomerang. In this physics lesson, students trace the origin of this equipment. They practice throwing and catching them.
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Strawberry Thanksgiving
Students identify what a harvest celebration is and its purpose. They demonstrate their understanding of a legend. They identify a relationship in which they need to apologize or forgive another person.
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the Richness of Rattles: a Lesson in Making And Decorating Clay Rattles
Students study the history behind clay rattles. They form and create a clay rattle using ceramic sculptural techniques and important composition and design elements.
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The Civil War
Students examine the events of the Civil War. Using the internet, they research one aspect of the war of interest to them. In groups, they create a hyperstudio stack which they present to their classmates showing the information they...
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How Things Fly
Students observe photographs of selected twentieth-century aircraft at the National Air and Space Museum and note differences in the design of aircraft wings, fuselages, and engines.
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The Rocky Shore
Students compare a realistic landscape painting with a photograph of the same place.
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Facts, Feats and Folklore: Spiders
Students review and discuss a variety of sayings, folklore and superstitions about spiders. They discuss this information and choose either an interesting fact or appealing foklore tradition to illustrate.
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History & Diversity
Students list the qualities needed to build strong family relationships. They gain an appreciation for the sacrifices of their ancestors who came to America and gain insights into the many fine qualities of minority families.
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Raising Cane: Building a Cane Flute From Scratch
Eighth graders create their own cane flute. They use a model flute to gain the correct measurements and use the scientific method to construct the flute to have sound quality and pitch accuracy.
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Maps of Indian Territory, the Dawes Act, and Will Rogers' Enrollment Case File
Students, in groups, analyze one map at a time, first the 1885 map, then the 1891 map. After they have completed the analysis sheets, they compare the two maps and answer questions imbedded in the plan.
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Tata Young
For this famous people worksheet, learners read a passage about Tata Young and then complete a variety of in-class and homework activities to support comprehension, including partner interviews, spelling, cloze, synonym matches, and...
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Fiesta
Students demonstrate an understanding of what a fiesta is by participating in various activities and conducting research.
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Multimedia Stained Glass Window Design
Students construct and display a stained glass gothic window box made from cardboard boxes, color tissue or colored plastic sheets of mylar, and glue.